Chapter 63

Chapter Sixty-Three

Fiona

S o many things happened to lead me to this moment. My mind runs back across them as I sit in my bedroom.

This definitely can't be good. As I leave Viktor's office, I know I need a plan, and I need it quick. If I get a DNA paternity test, he'll learn the truth. This baby I'm carrying is not his. But I'll be damned if I'm going to let things fall apart this late in the game. I've worked too hard.

I enter my bedroom, looking behind me to make sure no one is following me. I quickly go into my bedroom and lock the door. I can't afford someone walking in while I make the call that I'm dreading, but I don't have a choice. I grab my cell out of my purse, then race to the bathroom to turn on the shower.

"Paranoid much, Fiona?" I ask myself. I breathe in deeply and dial. It's a few rings before the cell is answered.

"Hi, sweetheart, it's late. Are you okay?"

"Hi, Mom. Is Dad around?"

"Yes, he should be somewhere in the house."

"Can you find him? I need to talk to him."

"Why didn't you just call him?"

"I guess I should have with all the questions you're asking. If you must know, I don't want his number to pop up on my history if someone looks."

"Are you okay?"

"Mom, go find Dad," I tell her again, annoyed. I love my mom, but I swear sometimes she's useless. How hard is it to follow instructions?

"What do you want, woman?" I hear my dad in the background.

"Fiona is on the cell. She says she needs to talk with you."

"Give me the damn cell." I can hear he's in a bad mood and I'm afraid I won't get the friendly Dad I need right now. "What did you do wrong this time, Fiona?"

"Hi, Daddy," I begin.

"Don't ‘hi Daddy' me, just tell me what you did wrong so I can fix it."

"Why do you always assume I've done something wrong?"

"Because it's you. Now talk or let me be. I don't have time to waste with you." I take a deep breath. I need to rip it off like a Band-Aid.

"Daddy, Viktor is asking for a paternity test."

"Are you really surprised he would? He knows you, Fiona."

"I can't do it, Daddy. If I do, he'll learn that the baby I'm carrying isn't his."

"For fucks sake. I know you aren't stupid enough to have slept with another man since you returned from London."

"No, Daddy. I was already pregnant." I brace myself for whatever is coming. I might be his little girl, but this is business. The only way for my dad to get what he wants is for me to give birth to a Manarch. He's said so, time after time.

"Always sleeping around. I don't know why the hell I wasn't given a son. I wouldn't be dealing with half the shit you've put me through."

"I'm sorry, Daddy. I didn't mean ? —"

"You never mean to fuck things up." There's a deep exhale and then shuffling. "I need you here in ten."

"Daddy, I can't leave the house. It will raise suspicion."

"I wasn't talking to you, Fiona. Go about your night as usual. Take the damn test, and I'll take care of the rest."

"But if I do, he'll learn the truth."

"He won't learn anything."

"What do you mean?" I'm confused.

"You're lucky. You're not the only person pregnant."

"Does Viktor have someone else pregnant?"

"What do you think, Fiona? For fucks sake, think. You can't possibly be that dumb." He's annoyed.

"Is Ava pregnant? How do you know? Do you know where she is?"

"I know everything. I'll fix this mess you've made. You will behave and lay low. Take the damn test and leave everything to me."

"Where is she? I want to know."

"You've done enough damage. I'll take care of everything."

"Daddy, if he finds out she's pregnant, he'll leave me."

"He'll never find out she's pregnant. Keep this shit to yourself. After this conversation, you're to never mention her again. Stay clear of her. Do you understand?" I find myself thinking about what he just told me. "Fiona," he screams.

"Yes, Daddy. I understand." But I'm not sure I can. If she's pregnant, I can't just let her be.

"Good. Don't call me again, and delete your call log. If Viktor is asking you for a DNA paternity test, it means he doesn't trust you."

"I know, Dad. Thanks for helping me."

"Remember, Fiona, I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for the McIntyre name. Don't you forget it."

I don't get a chance to say anything else. The cell goes dead. I would like to say that I'm surprised by how he's acting, but I'm not. I might be the heir to the McIntyre name, but I'm expected to do what he says. I just can't believe he didn't tell me he knows where Ava is. She's my biggest threat.

On top of that, she's having Viktor's baby. He has to see that Ava and that baby are a threat. A threat that needs to be eliminated. Once this mess with the DNA paternity test is done, I will find her and destroy her. She will not take what is rightfully mine and get her happy ending. I'm the true Mrs. Manarch, and no one will get in the way of that.

This past year has been hell. I have tried so hard to get what I want, but nothing seems to work. This is all Dad's fault. His damn greed led to this. That first engagement party changed it all. Everything was going great before that. I was going to get what I had been working for. But Dad wanted the Manarchs out of the way so badly that he didn't care for the consequences. He planned everything down to the second. Yet, things didn't go as planned. I was supposed to convince Viktor to have the engagement party. Viktor was so dead against it. But I knew he loved me, so I used it against him. He was so naive in many ways.

Dad told me exactly what I was supposed to do. At precisely eight o'clock, the party would be attacked by a group of men. Viktor and his father would be killed, and Dad would be left with everything. He would gain all the power he needed to be the ruler of everything. But they fucking missed. I had to disappear until things calmed down and I could return to claim Viktor. Then something unexpected happened.

"What's wrong?" Mom asks.

"I just took a pregnancy test, and it's positive," I tell Mom, freaking out over the cell. I was supposed to lay low and stay out of trouble.

"Your father isn't going to be happy. Who's the father?"

"Does it matter? What should I do? I doubt Daddy would approve of me having a baby that isn't a Manarch." He was clear with me. He told me my only duty was to marry Viktor so he could take over everything. Me having someone else's baby is not part of the plan he has carefully devised for the last five years.

"Where are you?" Mom asks.

"In London, on my way to the airport."

"Do you know how far along you are?"

"Maybe five weeks. I should get an abortion and forget the whole thing," I add more for myself.

"I'm sure you can think of something that will fix this. And Fiona…"

"What?"

"Don't tell a soul about the pregnancy. This has to be our secret."

I look in the mirror for the hundredth time. I hate the fact that little bitch Aisling ruined my body and left a scar where there shouldn't be one. I never wanted to be a mother. I would have ended the pregnancy in a heartbeat, but she was the perfect excuse to get what I wanted. The power of being a Manarch has been the only thing I've cared about for years. I was groomed to be a Manarch. The plan was to sleep with him and make him believe it was his baby when I got home from London. Shortly after I revealed I was having his baby, we would marry, and the McIntyres could have everything. Everything was planned to perfection until I learned of the whore in Viktor's life. She was an obstacle I wasn't expecting. He was head over heels for her and still is.

There was only one way to fix this, and I knew I had to return home immediately. I needed to sleep with Viktor as quickly as possible. Men are dumb, so he wasn't going to figure it out. But because of Ava, it wasn't as simple. I couldn't believe my dad didn't do anything to prevent him from getting involved with a whore from the housing projects. She's a low life, and it should have been simple to get rid of her at the beginning, but here I am, still dealing with her. Her giving birth to his bastard son hasn't helped me, either.

I had no choice but to plan quickly. I needed to find a way to be alone with Viktor. But it was impossible. Everywhere I went, she was with him. I had people spying on him, waiting for anything to go wrong with them. Anything that could get me what I needed. When I got the call that he had gotten into an argument with her, I jumped at the opportunity. Bonus when I realized he was drunk. I was finally going to get everything I wanted.

She ruined my perfect plan when I learned she was pregnant too. I tried multiple times to get rid of her. I even tried to run her over with my car shortly after I learned where she was, but I failed. Then the two idiots my dad sent who were supposed to kill her failed as well. I was sure it would happen when he had her pushed down the stairs, but once again, it was another failure. Apparently, Oliver found out about her pregnancy and started protecting her, making it harder to get rid of her. I ran out of options when Viktor heard me tell my mom that Ava was pregnant. I was careless. At least he hasn't learned that Aisling isn't his, so there's still hope for me to get what I want.

I'm going to meet with a hitman to set a plan in motion that won't fail. Now that we are divorced, I've run out of time. Aisling is my only bargaining chip, but I fear she won't be for much longer. I have to take matters into my own hands, and I can't count on my dad or his men to get the job done. I need to get rid of Ava once and for all. I heard they're getting married tomorrow. The hitman will kill Ava, and I'll be done with her. I'll take Aisling and pretend someone kidnapped her. Viktor will be distraught and will move heaven and earth to find Aisling. By the time he miraculously finds her, I'll be there to console him about Ava's death and be the perfect mother. It's the perfect plan. Everyone fears Cillian McIntyre, but that's because they don't truly know what I'm capable of. After all, I'm my father's daughter.

I grab my purse and leave. My meeting with the hitman in a nearby diner should be quick. I'm keeping my dad in the dark on this one. I don't need him trying to improve my plan as he often does. Inside the diner I spot the hitman and walk straight to him. He's from out of town so no one will know who he is.

"Make it quick," he says as I sit.

I hand him a picture of Ava. "She's your target. They're getting married in a hotel he owns. The address is on the back of the picture. It should be easy to get in. But expect a lot of security. He doesn't take chances when it comes to her."

"Do you have the money?" I take the envelope out of my purse.

"Twenty thousand like you asked." He stands to leave. "I need to know when it's done."

"You'll know. Don't ever contact me again."

For some people, twenty thousand dollars might be much but for me this is money spent. Tomorrow it will all be over, and Viktor will be mine.

Wearing a black wig, sunglasses, and coat, I stand in the hotel lobby. It's the perfect disguise. I didn't even recognize myself when I left the house. Plus, there are people everywhere providing additional cover.

A few days ago, I came to the hotel to figure out the best way to execute my part of the plan to take Aisling. I got the details for Aisling's room and paid a housekeeper to give me her uniform and confirm when Aisling arrived. It's a few hours before the wedding, and everyone should be too preoccupied with all the little details to notice me.

I quickly take the elevator up to a room I booked on the floor below Aisling. Inside the room, I change into the housekeeping outfit. Who would suspect trouble from a housekeeper?

Once I'm ready, I take the elevator up one floor. Exiting the elevator on the floor Aisling is in, I notice only two men at the door. Viktor is getting careless, but it's perfect for me.

"Hi, someone called for housekeeping," I say, fluttering my eyelashes flirtatiously. I have towels in my hands, so why would they suspect anything? Men are so gullible. One of the men looks me up and down but doesn't recognize me. That's not surprising, given I've never seen him before. He knocks on the door, "Ms. O'Brien, a housekeeper is here."

"Let her in." I hear Ava say.

Bonus. This is going to be even better than I thought. She wasn't supposed to be here. It was supposed to be the nanny. I walk in and immediately see her and Aisling further from the door. I don't see anyone else in the room with them. Ava's back is to me, so she doesn't see me at first. I don't say anything to avoid giving myself away. I hid a gun between the folds of the towels when I picked them up. I am glad of it, because it means I can end this once and for all. My father always says, "if you want something done right, do it yourself ." I will finally get her out of the picture.

"Come in. How can I help you?" Ava asks, turning around. I cover my face with a stack of towels.

"Someone asked for fresh towels," I say, disguising my voice.

"Thanks. You can leave them in the bathroom."

She goes back to her task of putting earrings on.

Aisling says, "Momma." For some odd reason, it bothers me. Ava isn't her mother. But I quickly recover. I'm not interested in being her mother anyway. When everything is done, she'll be the nanny's problem.

I set the towels down in the bathroom but hold onto the gun. Luckily, it has a silencer. I couldn't be happier at this moment. My father taught me well. I exit and see Ava pick up Aisling, who is giggling.

"You know she isn't your daughter, right?" I sneer.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" She holds Aisling closer, protectively.

"I came to get what belongs to me. If you howl, I'll kill you both. Hand her over."

"You wouldn't. She's your flesh and blood, and you wouldn't do that to Viktor. You love him. It will drive him insane." She tries to reason, but nothing she can say will save her.

I laugh. "I don't love Viktor, and she isn't his daughter, either. It's funny that no one has noticed she looks nothing like him." She looks at Aisling, then at me.

"You're lying."

"Am I?"

"Fiona, please don't do this. Tell me what you want." Aisling is now crying.

"For you to die. You don't understand how many people have tried and failed to kill you. But I won't fail. Your time is up." I walk closer to her, only the bed between us now. "I won't say it again. Hand her over."

"No."

I move around to the side of the bed where she's holding Aisling.

"I'll shoot. Trust me when I tell you I'll not miss." But she doesn't hand Aisling over. She holds her closer. I pull the trigger, and the vase beside her shatters.

"Don't do this." Aisling is now crying properly.

"Shut her up." There's a knock at the door. "You'd better say everything is fine, or Aisling will pay the price, and I doubt you want any harm come to her."

"Ms. O'Brien, is everything okay?" I point the gun at Aisling this time to make my point.

"Yes. Just dropped a vase. Everything is fine. It just scared Aisling."

"Would you like some help?" I look at her.

"No. Everything is fine. The housekeeper is here."

"Good job. Now set her down if you want her to live."

"You don't want to hurt her."

"See, the thing is, I don't really give a shit about Aisling. She was a means to an end. She's a useless handbag now. If you don't want her to die, you know what to do." Ava shoves Aisling to the floor. I'm going to say more when the window from the right shatters.

"What the fuck?" I ask myself.

The fucking hitman finally did his job. Suddenly the door behind me opens, and men blaze in. Before I can react, I feel the first bullet hit me, making me fall to my knees. I try shooting at them, but I find myself weak.

"Ms. O'Brien," one of them calls.

"Get Aisling," the other tells him.

I go to shoot again but miss. The guy shoots me twice more, and I fall on my back.

"Call 9-1-1." One of them orders. My eyes are closed, but somehow, I still hear everything.

"What the fuck is going on in here?" I hear Viktor enter. Then he screams, "Ava!"

"She's alive but losing a lot of blood," someone says. I hear footsteps, and somehow, I know it is him. I open my eyes in time to see Viktor standing over me.

"I warned you." The next thing I know, he's pulled a gun and fired.